Lafreniere Hat Trick / 5 Point Night, (9 points in last 5 games) heating up?

[Filthy Dangles]

Chris Kreider - 3rd most PPG in the league over the past 4 years, one of the best net front/deflectors
Vincent Trocheck - elite faceoff man nearly 60%, PPG centerman
Panarin - one of the best offensive and PP players in the world, obviously
Zibanejad - 4th in league PPG over the past 4 seasons

Sure other than Panarin, no world beaters on the 1st unit but tell me where Laf should go? Zibanejad and Kredier are 3rd and 4th in the league in PPG over the past 4 seasons. Trocheck is good all around ppg center who's almost 60% on the dots.

The rangers have been blessed with health for their top forwards so he's really not gotten a chance to get on the 1st unit.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

fans trying to make a big deal out of him now, are just as annoying as the ones labeling him a bust, although I think that side of the story holds more to the truth since Laf was literally the best CHL since Mcdavid, and easily the best QMJHL prospect sidney crosby yet he's outright failed to live up to the expectations. Rangers fans have their right to be excited, but cman guys.

He's 22 unless he has like 5 points a year he wasn't a bust. Not every 1st overall has to be a PPG player off the bat. I understand if he was even 25. So yes calling him a bust is stupid no matter what. And to be fair Rangers fans did it too.

 

[FoxysExpensiveNYDigs]

He's 22 unless he has like 5 points a year he wasn't a bust. Not every 1st overall has to be a PPG player off the bat. I understand if he was even 25. So yes calling him a bust is stupid no matter what. And to be fair Rangers fans did it too.

This is HF. Every non Crosby/OV/McDavid 1 OA shall be labeled a bust. So it is written (somewhere).

 

[HugeInTheShire]

This place will never learn, every young player that doesn't exceed expectations immediately is written off as a bust. Saw it with Hughes and Byfield as well as Laf.

 

[DialUp]

Crosby/OV/McDavid

Your anti-Leafs bias is showing!

 

[DialUp]

Currently, they have an effective Power Play (there really isn't much room for improvement there). They also have a player scoring at a really good 5v5 clip (Laf). This is ALL GOOD STUFF from a team perspective. Whether it's Trochek or Zib getting the PP points or Laf, the only thing that matters are goals. So him not being on the power play is whatever. Laf pushing 60 with minimal PP time is pretty good. It is fun debating individual achievements but ultimately it doesn't matter. If the Rangers PP sucked and Laf still wasn't good to play on it, then that would be bad for the team. But that isn't the case.

I thought he was actually bad the last few years and couldn't skate. He is much better this year; I am thrilled to be wrong.

 

[NickyFotiu]

I don't think coaches also nonchalantly overlook "star" offensive talent when determining who plays during their team's most important offensive opportunities.

Anyways, regardless of the reason why he is on the PP2 unit, he likely gets less ES time and loses ES points if he is on PP1.

These "if only he got XX player's icetime" he would score more never pan out.

And the OP has been annoying so you can expect some pushback on the main board.

I'm not arguing that Laf would score x amount of points if he played PP1. That is just speculation which I do not deal much in.

I do not think Laf would lose ES minutes if he played PP1 though. Bread plays PP1. So does Vince. They play the most ES minutes of our forwards.

 

[Tawnos]

I'm not arguing that Laf would score x amount of points if he played PP1. That is just speculation which I do not deal much in.

I do not think Laf would lose ES minutes if he played PP1 though. Bread plays PP1. So does Vince. They play the most ES minutes of our forwards.

While it is speculation, it's possible put a reasonable speculative number to it.

If Lafrenière was on PP1 instead of Trocheck and produced at the same rate he produces on PP2, he'd have 10 more PP points on the season. He'd be sniffing the 70 point mark by the end of the year.

If he was on PP1 instead of Trocheck and produced at the rate Trocheck does (which is the lowest number on that unit), he'd have 17 more PP points on the season and we'd be talking about how close he is to a point per game.

 

[NickyFotiu]

While it is speculation, it's possible put a reasonable speculative number to it.

If Lafrenière was on PP1 instead of Trocheck and produced at the same rate he produces on PP2, he'd have 10 more PP points on the season. He'd be sniffing the 70 point mark by the end of the year.

If he was on PP1 instead of Trocheck and produced at the rate Trocheck does (which is the lowest number on that unit), he'd have 17 more PP points on the season and we'd be talking about how close he is to a point per game.

That is entirely possible but sports have a lot of "ifs" that do not turn out so I'm fine just judging him for how he has played this season. He has been very good PP or no PP.

 

[ORRFForever]

I wish I understood why so many posters want to see this kid fail?

Is it a Canadian thing?

A Ranger thing?

 

[mattihp]

I always thought Kakko would heat up first as he is more assertive whilst Laf is more talented. Good on him!

 

[Whoot Whoot]

Laf has become an in front of the net guy, he’s not going to bump Kreider out of his spot

Yes Mika is off but I don’t think Laf would do so well near the circles

 

[SnowblindNYR]

I wish I understood why so many posters want to see this kid to fail?

Is it a Canadian thing?

A Ranger thing?

A lot of people felt that Rangers team was too good to get the #1 overall pick. While they were better than the usual 1 overall that team gets completely overrated. They very likely weren't making the playoffs in a non-Covid season and as is were the only team to get swept in the play in round.

 

[QJL]

Laf has become an in front of the net guy, he’s not going to bump Kreider out of his spot

Yes Mika is off but I don’t think Laf would do so well near the circles

Laf can play this role. He scored net front a lot his few years.

That has changed. Laf is shooting and creating from the right side boards every night.

 

[Leafs1991]

He's 22 unless he has like 5 points a year he wasn't a bust. Not every 1st overall has to be a PPG player off the bat. I understand if he was even 25. So yes calling him a bust is stupid no matter what. And to be fair Rangers fans did it too.

I've been starting to come to terms with that. Players are starting to breakout as late as 27/28 a little more often too it seems so it does help to be patient and not completely right off a player too early on in their career.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

I've been starting to come to terms with that. Players are starting to breakout as late as 27/28 a little more often too it seems so it does help to be patient and not completely right off a player too early on in their career.

I wanted to start a thread to see what people's opinions are on the topic but haven't been able to word it properly. Do 1st overall picks bust at higher rates if they're not phenoms right away considering most players aren't in the NHL the first few seasons of those #1 picks. In other words of they don't make it by like age 21 are they more likely to bust considering most players aren't in the league at that age and need time to learn the game and improve their body. One argument I can see is that #1 overall are often more ready pro ready early on and if they can't get there right away that's a bad sign. But other than that I don't see why if a #1 overall doesn't have the quick adaptability to the game they're less likely than a regular player to have a regular player learning curve.

 

[Kocur Dill]

Remember when a playoff team won the lottery?

No I don't, cuz they sucked ass that year.

BTW Chicago, LA, and TB all yo-yo'd harder in the drafting years that lead to their turn around playoff dominace and SCF wins.

NYR drafts 1 and 2 for the first time since before colored hockey equipment and jack wagon fans league wide gotta regurgitate Salty comments years later forever-more.

Rangers buy their talent, hurrdeedurrr.
Rangers suck and draft their talent, hurrdeedurrr.

Damned if you do, damned if you dont.

 

[2014nyr]

Laf has become an in front of the net guy, he’s not going to bump Kreider out of his spot

Yes Mika is off but I don’t think Laf would do so well near the circles

laf isn't a net front guy. gallant used him in that role at times and he scores goals around the net, but that's every goal scorer because that's where you get them.

he's much better and has always played up top or off the wall. he could be effective in the bumper but troch is your faceoff guy so he's not coming off. mika would be the guy, and for a number of reasons he's not gonna be moved - at least this year. you lose the shot there so you probably put laf on the right wall and have 2 one-time options, but those are just setup options. on any good pp the guys up top are all moving and rotating to create lanes anyway. regardless, his vision and hands are his best skills...you want him in a place to find lanes and making cuts to the net, not standing in front of it.

 

[Levitate]

Laf is playing like a top line winger at even strength now. Maybe he'd suck on the power play? Who knows, but seems more likely to me that he'd find a way to contribute there well if he got a good chance at it

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

Bust...


....ing out of that funk !

 

[SirloinUB]

I use empirical data to inform my opinions, rather than make personal attacks at people that disagree with me.

Ever consider that he doesn't play more on the powerplay because he hasn't been very good there?

Do you weight all seasons equally in your very "empirical" opinion? If you look at the last two seasons combined he is ranked 254. This season (he is at 99 minutes) he ranks 134.

Also there is a big difference between getting the left over 30 seconds of a PP and getting a steady 60-90 seconds of the pp in terms of expected outcomes.

He also is literally one of the worst performing performers on the powerplay since coming into the league. That is a fact. He is not the only player in the league that plays on the second unit.

To contextualize what being ranked 134 means we can assume all 32 teams use 4 forwards on PP1 meaning there are 128 PP1 Forwards. Being ranked 134 would literally make him the 6th best producing PP2 forward in the NHL. Realistically a few teams use 3 Forwards and some deploy both units with more equal ice time but his PP production is by no means the wart you are trying to make it out as.

There is definitely some hyperbole in this thread but, again, he is not a liability/bad on the PP as you're trying to suggest.

 

[NickyFotiu]

Pretty cool move by Laf to set up KK (he did not score).

 

[eco's bones]

He hit 50 even strength points last night.

 

[Profet]

He hit 50 even strength points last night.

Bust

 

[turkleton85]

Pretty cool move by Laf to set up KK (he did not score).

wow, i didnt know he had such fluid moves